Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Home Study

Hey Friends of Francos! Well, OK, Friends of Rochelle. FOR! This is a post for FOR.

An update on the adoption process from Tony Baloney - we started! After getting the "go" from our adoption agency, we spent a few weeks gathering our minds and hearts and pieces of paper with our signatures on them. Those pieces of paper were toward the 1st big step in the process - home study.

Home Study. Sounds all cold and clinical, doesn't it? People come to your house and study it. People probably wearing ties and wearing no sense of humor. They study you. Study what's under your bed and in your soul.

Not so much. We had a heads up that the couple from our local home study agency were "pretty laid back." Well, that didn't get in the way of Rochelle declaring HOUSE CLEANING DEF-CON FIVE on the Franco Boys, and we spent a, um, goodly amount of time making the place look like a model home for young children.

Morning of, we all stood in the driveway, boys with combed hair and brushed teeth and buttoned buttons and calm demeanor just like every single morning. Then S-man jumped on his skateboard and rode down the (fairly steep) driveway, partially into the street. Just as the home study folks pulled up. Suh-weet.

But this couple. They were too laid back. No gloves, no magnifying glass, no prickly & prying questions (well, not too many). I wanted a good grilling. I needed validation that not only was our house clean, that here, here is your certificate and gold medal for "looking like people that would be OK to adopt another human being." We just got another appointment with them. But no, the discussion was good and positive and fun for us to talk to people "in the business" and in the know.

So that's next! We hang out at their office in Central Arkansas, and talk some more. And in the meantime, we look ahead and prepare for the next big step - THE DOSSIER. Gey-ulp. That's another post. You'll see, oh you'll see.

And I couldn't be more excited to do paperwork! With every little step, every word of encouragement, every $ donated to the whole bit--I'm super grateful for you, grateful to be rolling down this road. The road lined with little signed papers.